Zephyr Strings

Kabanata 1

It's almost seven-thirty. Ilang minuto na lang ay magsisimula na ang first subject. Ilang beses akong naglabas pasok sa elevator bago ko makita ang building at floor ng aking silid.

Nakabukas pa iyon ngunit halos mapatalon ako nang makitang mayroon nang nakatayong prof sa harapan. Kunot ang noo at mukhang masungit.

"Good morning, Ma'am..." Maamo kong bati nang bumaling ito sa akin.

"Morning. Get to your seat, we'll start now," aniya sa masungit na boses.

Eyes of students darted at me as I stepped inside. Kita ko ang iilang talunan ng mga kilay ng mga lalaki nang makita ako habang ang mga babae ay pinasadahan pa ako ng tingin mula ulo hanggang paa.

I sighed when I saw a lot of slots at the back. Ngunit walang mga nakaupo roon. Bahala na.

"Sit beside Escareal," nagsalita muli ang propesor.

Okay. Escareal. That name is familiar. Who's that?

"Here..." Turo ng babae sa bakanteng upuan sa pangatlong row.

I smiled at her. "Thank you..."

She blushed and nodded. I occupied the vacant seat and sighed. Hindi pa nga ako nakakabawi masiyado ng hangin, naamoy ko ang isang pamilyar na amoy.

I sniffed and turned to the person beside me. Namilog ang aking mga mata nang makitang si Casimir iyon. He's slouching in his chair, flipping his pen between his fingers, and gazing intently at the whiteboard.

The sharpness of his jaw and chin are complemented by the slim and narrow shape of his nose. I averted my gaze.

"Good morning, everyone. I am Marie Medina. Your Professor in Business Analytics." Pakilala ng unang prof at nagsulat sa board.

Tahimik ang buong silid habang nagpapaliwanag ang prof tungkol sa subject niya at paraan niya ng pagtuturo. She even warned us that passing her subject is difficult, which is why we have to work harder.

Kinabahan tuloy ako. I used to do everything nonchalantly. And hearing her talk in front of us feels like a wake-up call for me.

This is serious.

"Escareal, you've been on the Dean's List since freshmen, right?

I turned to Casimir. He looks smart, but I didn't expect that he really was one of those gifted people. Looks and brains.

"Yes, Mrs. Medina," his voice was low.

Ngumuso ako at bumaling sa harapan. He's handsome. No. Hindi lang iyon. His sex appeal is oozing. Plus point na rin na matalino pala siya. Wow. He's one of those people who are born under good stars. I bet his death will be amazing and peaceful, too.

"I am not always here, but I will never fail to discuss and give you work. So, Escareal, I want you to lead them and collect the papers every time I am not here. Is that okay with you?

You've already told him what to do. Of course, he wouldn't refuse.

"Yes, Ma'am," he said, sounding a bit controlled now.

I glanced at him. Nakakunot na ang kaniyang noo. I smirked.

"You can refuse if you don't want to, you know..." I whispered.

Lumawak ang ngisi ko nang malamig niya akong balingan. Our seats are just a few meters away. Kaya naman kitang-kita ko ang bahagyang pag-ahon ng inis niya.

Now that I'm looking at him. It seems like he's one of those students who focus on their academics. His under eyes are a bit red like he was lacking good sleep.